CMS ITU Training Event

IHS Partnership Virtual Trainings | (January 19 – February 18, 2022)

In partnership with Indian Health Service, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to helping the Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal Health Programs, and Urban Indian Programs to maximize their ability to access third party resources. To meet this objective, CMS, in partnership with the States, the Veterans Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the IHS, provides training to patient benefits advocates on the programs and benefits available through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs (DTA) in conjunction with the Indian Health Service (IHS) invite you to the 2022 CMS Outreach & Education Event.

The event was held virtually from Wednesday, January 19th to Friday, February 18th, 2022. 

Target Audience

  • Business Office Staff
  • Benefits Coordinators
  • Patient Registration Staff
  • Health Information Management staff
  • Purchased/Referred Care staff

Topics at a Glance

  • CMS Tribal Affairs Updates
  • Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and the Health Insurance Marketplace
  • State-Administered Programs
  • Clinical Documentation Improvement
  • Revenue Cycle overview
  • Social Security, Veterans Affairs and much more…

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

You will receive 1 CEU from AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders) for each webinar you attend within the virtual training series.  You will need to complete the evaluation form sent within 24 hours of completing the webinar.  Upon completion of the evaluation form you will be sent an email (within 48 hours) with your CEU certificates attached.

PLEASE NOTE:  You will need to participate in the full webinar and not log off early to receive the CEU certificate. You will be sent an online evaluation form to complete, your feedback is important to help us improve. 

 

Division of Tribal Affairs Introductions and Health Insurance Marketplace

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Rachel Ryan Pedersen – CMS Division of Tribal Affairs
Kristen Bitsuie – National Indian Health Board


Medicare 101

 FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Mary Munoz – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services


Medicaid 101

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Cynthia Gillaspie – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services


Social Security Administration

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Rhonda Whitenack  –  Social Security Administration


OIG: Preventing Fraud, Waste and Abuse

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Officer Jonell Soeffing – Office of Inspector General
Senior Counsel James Ortmann – Office of Inspector General


Revenue Cycle Overview

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Alex Arobba – Indian Health Service


Patient Registration and Patient Benefit Coordination: The Matrix

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Sandra Sealey  – Indian Health Service
Dustie Cummins
– Indian Health Service


COVID Billing

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET) 

Marissa Stevens – Indian Health Service
Shannon Braford – Indian Health Service


AR Process and RPMS Posting

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET) 

Adrian Lujan – Indian Health Service


Outreach and Education

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Kristen Bitsuie – National Indian Health Board


Management Tools / Revenue Monitoring

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

K. Dempsey – Indian Health Service
Alex Arobba – Indian Health Service


Urban Indian Programs

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Travis Draper – Native Americans for Community Action


PRC

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Robin Watkins – Indian Health Services


HIM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022 (2:00 PM —3:30 PM ET)

Crystal Tonihka – Indian Health Services

Webinar Format

The webinar is structured with an introduction, presentations, and an audience Q&A session. Please submit questions or comments through the WebEx chat feature. The session moderator will verbally relay all audience questions to the presenter.  Please note, we will answer as many questions as time permits. Unanswered questions will be addressed in a follow-up email after the webinar.

If there are any issues or problems during the webinar, you can contact staff/moderator using the onscreen chat feature or by emailing Octane at cmsitutrainings@octanepublicrelations.com

Tips on Joining a Webex Meeting

You can join a WebEx from your computer, mobile device, phone, or a video system. Pick the one that works best for you.

  • Use the computer for audio (default)  ̶  Use your computer with a headset or speakers.
  • Click the link provided in your registration confirmation and reminder emails.
  • By default, your microphone and camera are turned off. The video and microphone buttons are both red.
  • Click Join Meeting.
  • Audio Only  ̶  Dail-in, if you prefer to use your phone for audio. (NOTE: Choose this option if your Internet connection is slow)
  • Join or dial-in up to 10 minutes before the meeting starts.

FAQ’s

QUESTION: Do I need a Webex account to join a meeting?
ANSWER: You don’t need a Webex account to join meetings that you’re invited to. You do need an email invitation that provides the information you need to join the meeting.
QUESTION: Why is there no audio?
ANSWER: If you’re using your computer for audio:
QUESTION: How do I download the app?
ANSWER: The Webex Meetings desktop app automatically downloads after starting or joining a Webex meeting from a Webex site or email invitation.
  • Click the installation file to install it. Refer to the New Webex Sign-In Users and the New Webex Guest Users sections in the Cisco Webex Meetings Desktop App Installation Matrix.
  • If you want to install the app without joining a meeting first, you can also download it manually. Go here to get the download file, then follow steps 3—5 below to install the file.
  • Customers who are locked down to a specific meeting application version should get the download file directly from their Webex site. Follow the steps below
QUESTION: What if I need additional support?
ANSWER: Please email cmsitutrainings@octanepublicrelations.com for additional support.
If you have a previous version of the Webex Meetings desktop app, you have to uninstall that version before installing the new version.
1. Sign in to your Webex site.
2. Select Downloads > Cisco Webex Meetings Desktop App > Download.
3. Run the .msi (Windows) or .dmg (Mac) installation file and follow the instructions. The Webex Meetings desktop app opens when the installation is complete.
4.  Enter your email address and select Sign In.
5. Select or enter your Webex site URL, and then enter your password.

Webex Meetings Suite System Requirements 

Please click here to see Cisco WebEx Meetings Suite Systems Requirement.

Program

Rhonda Martinez-McFarland
CMS Division of Tribal Affairs/CAHPG/CMCS
Rhonda.Martinez-McFarland@cms.hhs.gov

Rachel Ryan Pedersen
CMS Division of Tribal Affairs/CAHPG/CMCS
rachel.ryanpedersen@cms.hhs.gov

Alison Sanders
Indian Health Service
Alison.Sanders@ihs.gov

 

Registration

cmsitutrainings@octanepublicrelations.com

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Important website links to American Indian and Alaska Native Resources

The CMS Division of Tribal Affairs serves as the point of contact on Indian health issues and provides ongoing support to CMS components regarding Indian health implications and Tribal perspectives. CMS Tribal Affairs serves as a liaison to external partners such as federal agencies in HHS, including IHS, Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian health programs, and national Indian organizations.

CMS TRIBAL AFFAIRS

CMS Tribal Affairs website is a resource for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), Tribal organizations, and other Federal agencies on Tribal Consultation, the Affordable Care Act, All Tribes’ Calls, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Long Term Services & Supports Technical Assistance Center, Outreach & Education resources, StateTribal Relations, Trainings, and How to Order Tribal Products.

 

 

  • CMS TRIBAL AFFAIRS SPOTLIGHT PAGE
    CMS Tribal Affairs posts important information like Save the Date notices for webinars and All Tribes’ Calls, new fact sheets and brochures, grant opportunities, or updates on CMS Indian health policies.

 

  • CMS TRIBAL AFFAIRS OUTREACH & EDUCATION RESOURCES
    CMS Tribal Affairs produces outreach and education resources to increase awareness and understanding of new health insurance benefits available to AI/ANs, as well as special provisions available to Tribal members and their families because of the permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and other provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The resources include video & radio products, brochures, posters, training materials, and webinars. Many of these materials were developed in collaboration with HHS, IHS, CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group, and national Indian organizations. Resources can be downloaded from this page or ordered from the CMS warehouse on the Tribal Products Ordering Page.

 

  • HOW TO ORDER TRIBAL PRODUCTS and PRODUCT LISTING
    CMS Tribal Affairs produces outreach and education resources that are available for download from the website or ordered for free from the CMS warehouse on the Tribal Products Ordering Page. This link takes you to instructions on how to order CMS Tribal Affairs products.

 

  • CMS PSA YouTube PLAYLIST
    Each month CMS produces newspaper articles and corresponding public service announcements (PSA) that feature a different topic or message. The articles and messages are featured in Tribal newspapers and on Tribal radio stations. The radio PSAs are translated into five native languages: English, Navajo, Lakota, Ojibwe, Yupik, and Zuni. This link takes you to the YouTube page with all the radio PSAs. To view the monthly drop-in ‘news ads,” visit CMS Tribal Affairs Outreach and Education Resources page.

 

  • ITU TRAININGS and WEBINARS
    CMS Tribal Affairs partners with IHS, the Office of the Inspector General, the Social Security Administration, the Veteran’s Health Administration, and State Medicaid Agencies to conduct face to face trainings to provide AI/AN beneficiary advocates, benefits coordinators, providers, beneficiaries, and Tribal leaders with information about CMS programs including eligibility and benefits. This link takes you to the CMS ITU training webpage where you can register for trainings online. CMS also holds webinars to present information from subject matter experts on CMS related issues relevant to IHS, Tribes, urban programs, and AI/AN beneficiaries.

 

  • LONG TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS (LTSS) WEBINARS
    CMS, IHS, and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) have a joint technical assistance effort to support the development of LTSS in Indian Country. The purpose of this effort is to share knowledge and promising practices and build an ongoing dialogue among tribal, IHS, and Urban Indian health programs engaged in LTSS delivery for AI/ANs.

 

MARKETPLACE

This is the Marketplace website with information for assisters and outreach partners.

 

MEDICAID AND CHIP

  • CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM
    The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is a State-Federal program offering free or low-cost health coverage for eligible children and other family members. There are special protections for AI/ANs enrolled in CHIP. For more information, visit, HealthCare.gov.

 

  • MEDICAID
    Medicaid is a State-Federal program that offers health insurance to eligible individuals. There are special protections for AI/ANs enrolled in Medicaid, such as no cost-sharing. Visit the Indian Health & Medicaid webpage for more information about the special protections for AI/ANs enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP.

 

MEDICARE

  • MEDICARE LEARNING NETWORK
    The Medicare Learning Network offers several learning opportunities, some of which can be taken for credit. This site has links to all the different Medicare Learning Products.

 

  • NOVITAS “ASK THE CONTRACTOR” CALLS
    Novitas “Ask the Contractor” calls are available for any facility billing for Medicare services. Participants must visit the Novitas website and set up an account on their Learning Website to receive information about the calls.

 

  • MACRA and the Quality Payment Program
    The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is bipartisan federal legislation signed into law on April 16, 2015, establishes a new way to pay physicians for caring for Medicare beneficiaries. For more information on the Quality Payment Program (QPP) visit: www.qpp.cms.gov

 

  • NEW MEDICARE CARD
    The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015, requires the removal of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) from all Medicare cards by April 2019. A new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) on the new Medicare cards for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status, and claim status.

 

IHS/TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS OUTREACH PARTNERS

  • TRIBAL SELF GOVERNANCE UPCOMING WEBINARS
    Tribal Self Governance (SGCE) is a Tribally-based Communication & Education Consortium that focuses on what Self-Governance means to Tribes, defining and exploring relationships, and the key policy provisions and intent of the Self-Governance statutes.

 

OTHER FEDERAL PARTNERS

We pledge to put patients first in all of our programs – Medicaid, Medicare, and the Health Insurance Exchanges. To do this, we must empower patients to work with their doctors and make health care decisions that are best for them.